When John Johnson III went down with what looked like an upper-body injury in the Los Angeles Rams' ugly Week 2 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, fans held their breath, wondering when the veteran safety would return to the field, if he would return at all.

As it turns out, he was ultimately ruled out of the game, and when it came to an end, Sean McVay wasn't sure of his timeline either, telling reporters that all the team knew was that he had suffered a shoulder injury.

On Monday, Rams fans got their answer, with Johnson III taking to his No Bluffin podcast to announce that he'd suffered a fractured scapula and would miss between four and six weeks as a result, landing on IR in the meantime, according to Ian Rapoport.

While safety is one of the position groupings that the Rams can afford to weather an injury at better than most, as Quentin Lake can line up opposite Kamren Curl with a player like Charles Woods or even veteran practice squad member Ahkello Witherspoon coming in to take snaps on the inside, losing Johnson III is still a crushing blow at the end of a disappointing weekend.

Even if he's back in time for the Las Vegas Raiders game after the Bye, it's worth wondering what LA's record will be by that point, especially if players keep dropping like flies.

Los Angeles Rams safety John Johnson III (43) celebrates after intercepting a pass against the Washington Commanders in the second half at SoFi Stadium.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Chris Schula was excited to bring John Johnson III back to the Rams

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When Johnson III officially returned to the Rams after spending some time in Cleveland, he was incredibly happy to be back in blue and yellow, letting fans know that Los Angeles feels like home. He looked good on the field, picking up 42 tackles and two interceptions as a semi-starter for the Rams, and while he didn't produce the sort of numbers that made him into a highly touted prospect in free agency, he still had a market in free agency this past spring.

Fortunately, Johnson III really did enjoy being a member of the Rams, and he opted to come back to Inglewood on a sub $2 million contract.

Discussing his excitement to have Johnson III return to the team for his sixth season as a Ram, defensive coordinator Chris Shula celebrated his fit on the team, as he knows the scheme incredibly well.

“We've always kind of had it in the back of our minds,” Shula explained earlier this year. “He's a guy that we know very well that is very familiar with the system. Obviously, he was here the first year we got with the Rams when we drafted him in 2017. Somebody that was with us the last game of the year, it kind of feels like he's been with us since.”

Initially drafted in the third round out of Boston College, Johnson played well enough during his initial run in LA to earn a contract worth over $11 million per year from the Browns, even if he was ultimately waived before his third and final season in brown and orange. If he can return to the field in vintage form, it's safe to assume that he'll be a hot commodity in free agency next spring, too, with a deal much more in line with his actual value versus the bargain the Rams landed this offseason.